Socio-Cultural Context of Violence against Women in Pakistan

Ra’ana Malik

Abstract

Violence against women takes many forms and is spread throughout a woman’s life cycle. Because of deep rooted cultural and traditional practices, women in Pakistan are the victims of both direct and indirect violence. The present study aimed to reflect the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of society towards violence against women practices in the light of Pakistan’s socio-cultural context. The data was drawn from four districts and in a household survey, 813 couples were interviewed. Strong influence of socio-cultural norms and traditions was found and issues pertaining to violence against women are considered as personal and private. The prevalent cultural practices and gender-based social norms and traditions perpetuate lower status of women in the family, community and society. Recommendations for social reform policy are given.